Ultimate Boarder

Thursday, February 26, 2009

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Ultimate Boarder is back. After a ridiculously successful first year of competition (it was named 2008’s Best New Sport Event at the Sports Travel Awards), the board sport triathlon created by Goleta’s Tim Hoover is gearing up for year number two and, by the looks of things, this April’s surf, skate, and snow jamboree is going to be even more impressive the second time around. The week-long competition-which has athletes going head-to-head on snowboards in Lake Tahoe, on surfboards at C Street in Ventura, and on skateboards at a custom mini-ramp at the Ventura County Fairgrounds for a crack at taking home the overall crown and fat slice of a $67,000 prize purse-has evolved in 2009 to include a team competition and prime time cable television coverage that will beam the action into 50 million homes nationwide.

While last year’s individual competition (won by pro skateboarder, surprisingly good surfer, and not-so-hot snowboarder Aaron Astorga) remains the same this time around-save for the fact that there are nearly double the number of contestants-it is the addition of the team comp that has Hoover and athletes alike frothing. Unlike the individual portion, which rewards riders for their ability to perform in all three disciplines, the team competition lets you insert one rider for the snow, someone else for the mini-ramp, and a third rider for the waves.

Industry heavies like Volcom, Hurley, Lost, and Freestyle have already registered star-studded teams, and area standouts like J7 surfboards, Trilogy Arts, and Bravo Condoms are testing the waters as well. In fact, according to Hoover, there has been so much interest expressed by individual pro and amateur board riders looking to join a team that he is in the process of “connecting the dots” and trying to put together more squads before the early March registration deadline. In order to do so, he is looking for Santa Barbara-based surfers, skaters, and snowsliders of all ages to step up and answer the call. “It is just a great chance for unknown riders and kids to compete alongside their heroes, get some exposure, and have a ton of fun,” said Hoover.

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